I wandered into Hastings the other day for music.  The doctor said I needed to relax and get more sleep.  Music is a great tranquilizer for me so I headed to the CDs.  But along the way, I HAD to see if my book was still on the shelf.  It was – on the bottom shelf at the back of the store in the science fiction area.  Writing a book and selling a book are two different things and my beautiful book was hidden by all the others there on the bottom shelf.  Did it have a chance with all the other wonderful books out there? I had to keep trying to bring it to the forefront if it was to flourish.

This evening I walked out back where the weeds were crowding out the plants that I had worked so hard to develop.  The unusual amount of rain that Enid has received the last few months has turned my backyard into a jungle.  Plants were growing faster than they could be contained.  I got down on my knees with the shears and pulled the thick Bermuda grass away from the plant and trimmed it back so I could find the beautiful flowers I had worked so hard to grow.  Close to the ground I found thick roots just waiting to be freed.  Hardy flowers that only stood out if they were freed and brought to the forefront.

I can’t take the shears to the other books, nor would I want to.  The world is full of fabulous books and authors.  It is a virtual garden of literature just waiting to be read, or tended, by the reader/gardener.  While close to the ground I realized that sometimes the best view is down on your knees.